Can an alkaline diet prolong the signs of ageing?

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Could more greens lead to less greys?

From SheKnows Australia

From celebrities to everyday people, one of the new diet trends on everyone's lips is the alkaline diet. However, many propose that it's not just a diet fad but a way of life.

The alkaline diet is also gaining popularity because of the movement from highly packaged foods and fatty meats to green vegetables and no sugar. In fact, we have this diet to thank for the "green smoothie" revolution.

Acid vs. alkaline

Among the many amazing natural processes within our bodies, our digestive system has a way of balancing itself and ensuring we digest food properly and absorb nutrients.

The Biamonte Center for Clinical Nutrition explains, "When your body is functioning in top form, the digestive tract alternates back and forth between an alkaline and acid pH. Digestion starts in the mouth (which works optimally at an alkaline pH). Moving downwards, digestion in the stomach requires an acid pH. Next, the small intestines need an alkaline pH. Finally the large intestine works best in a slightly acid pH."

However, with the introduction of the modern diet, which is loaded with preservatives, sugar and fats, our bodies can be out of whack (often over-acidic) and this is where many believe an alkaline diet can bring back balance.

The alkaline diet

As part of the alkaline diet, The Alkaline Sisters, Yvonne and Julie, advise we should try to avoid foods that are acidic including most meats (chicken, beef, pork and veal), fish, milk and milk products, some nuts (cashew, pistachios and peanuts) and sweets (particularly sugar and artificial sweetners).

Not to worry though, The Alkaline Sisters offer a longer list of alkaline healthy foods including:

Almost all vegetables (particuarly green leafy vegetables)

Some root vegetables (beetroot, carrot, parsnip and potatoes)

A limited fruits list of avocado, lemon, limes and tomato

Grains and legumes

Some nuts (almonds and brazil nuts).

Anything that's not on the "can have" or "avoid" lists should be eaten in moderation.

Prolonging ageing

So we know what we should and shouldn't be eating, but how does this work internally and give us a more healthy glow and youthful look?

The Alkaline Sisters say, "An alkaline balanced body is healthy, vibrant, and energetic, free of sickness and disease. An acidic body is one that is degenerating, breaking down, showing a myriad of symptoms of ill health from the simplest form being a cold or a rash all the way to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer."

Essentially, a diet full of green vegetables is believed to help our body balance out alkaline levels, along with producing just the right amount of acid needed for digestion.

One quirky fact is that an alkaline diet filled with lots of leafy green vegetables has been known to reverse grey hair growth and allow people to regrow their natural hair colour.

Green smoothie guru known the world over, Victoria Boutenko, has written Green for Life and explains, "I have observed that most people diagnosed with very low stomach [hyrdochloric] acid have noticeably more grey hair. There are numerous well-documented accounts of people's natural hair colour returning as a result of consuming blended greens on a regular basis."